Curb marking gage

ABSTRACT

A curb marking gage having a generally L-shaped frame upon which are mounted a plurality of vertically oriented wheels adapted to roll over the top surface of a curb construction and a plurality of horizontally oriented wheels adapted to be rollable over the side surface of the curb construction. A depth marking assembly is adjustably mounted on the frame and incorporates a vertical arm having a scale inscribed thereon for height gaging purposes. A paint container mounts at the bottom of the scale and feeds paint peripherally outwardly to a circular brush which is arranged for rotation relative to the frame for curb marking purposes. The paint container is pivotally mounted and spring biased to continuously urge the circular brush against the curb during all periods of use.

United States Patent [1 1 Polselli et al.

[451 May 27, 1975 1 CURB MARKING GAGE [22] Filed: Aug. 31,1973

[21] Appl. No: 393,423

Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Assistant ExaminerJohn W. ShepperdAttorney, Agent, or FirmWeiser, Stapler & Spivak [57] ABSTRACT A curbmarking gage having a generally L-shaped frame upon which are mounted aplurality of vertically oriented wheels adapted to roll over the topsurface of a curb construction and a plurality of horizontally orientedwheels adapted to be rollable over the side surface of the curbconstruction. A depth marking assembly is adjustably mounted on theframe and incorporates a vertical arm having a scale inscribed thereonfor height gaging purposes. A paint container mounts at the bottom ofthe scale and feeds paint peripherally outwardly to a circular brushwhich is arranged for rotation relative to the frame for curb markingpurposes. The paint container is pivotally mounted and spring biased tocontinuously urge the circular brush against the curb during all periodsof use.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATH-HEB EH2 7 I975 SHEEI ElBF 2 PATENTEU W2 7 B SHEET [REF 2 64 as as FIG.

CURB MARKING GAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present inventionrelates generally to the field of construction marking devices and moreparticularly is directed to markers suitable for use with curbconstructions.

In most urban communities it is the common practice to define roads orstreets from sidewalks or other private construction by employing curbsat the transverse edges of the streets. When constructing streets orroads, the road construction contractors will normally establish thedesired grades by use of temporary markers and then the finished curbsare installed. Most often, the curbs are fabricated of concrete andextensive forming and other preparatory work is required. In otherinstances, the curbs are prefinished prior to installation, such as whenemploying granite curb stones, and then the prefinished materials areset in place in the desired locations and at the required finishedgrades.

Once the finished grades have been established at the transverse curbs,the contractor then levels, grades fills and otherwise adjusts the roadbed relative to the finished curb so that a finished road surface ofeither concrete or bituminous material can be placed at precisely thecorrect, finished grade. As road construction equipment becomes moreautomated in nature and the need for hand operations diminishes, somemethod for quickly and accurately marking the vertical surface of thepreset curbs with the proper road elevation has become apparent. Themarkings must be accurate, quickly applied and sufficiently clear so asto be readily visible to the operators of large, mechanical, roadconstruction equipment.

It is presently the practice to employ a marking line for manuallyplacing elevation marks on the vertical curb surface. This presentmethod is now proving obsolete in that two men are required for the job,one at each end of the line, and the entire operation is too timeconsuming, thereby increasing construction costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to thefield of pavement markers, and more particularly, is directed to a curbmarking gage suitable to quickly establish a horizontal line on the curbfor locating street grades relative to the curb.

The device of the present invention includes a generally L-shaped framemember having a horizontal leg and a vertical leg depending therefromand which is designed to overfit and ride upon a previously set curbconstruction. A plurality of vertically oriented wheels depend from thetop leg of the frame and are rotatably supported to ride over the topsurface of a curb. A plurality of horizontally oriented wheels projectinwardly from the downwardly depending leg of the frame and are held inrolling engagement over the vertical surface of a curb. A curb markingassembly is vertically adjustable within the frame and includes a scaleto quickly position the marking device at a desired location below thetop surface of the curb. A paint container is supported on the curbmarking assembly and feeds paint by gravity through a bottom positioned,adjustable orifice to a circular brush which is preferably oriented in ahorizontal plane. Paint from the container radiates outwardly toimpregnate the entire peripheral surface of the circular brush for curbmarking purposes. The paint container and brush are supported upon aplatform which is pivotally carried at the bottom of the curb markingassembly. The platform is continuously spring biased inwardly toward thevertical surface of the curb to thereby continuously press the circularbrush against the curb for marking purposes during all periods of use.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved curb marking gage of the type set forth.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel curbmarking gage incorporating a generally L shaped frame, horizontal andvertically oriented wheels supported inwardly of the frame for rollingupon the corresponding surfaces of a curb and paint marking meanscarried by the frame for inscribing a horizontal line upon a curb.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel curbmarking gage incorporating a generally L-shaped frame, wheels connectedto the frame and rollable upon the surfaces of a curb, a curb markingassembly carried by the frame, said curb marking assembly including apaint container and a circular paint brush.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel curbmarking gage which includes a frame, wheel means rollably connected tothe frame for rolling the device over a curb, paint application meanssuspended from the frame for applying a horizontal mark to a curb andvertically adjustable means adjustably supported on the frame forvertically orienting the paint application means relative to the top ofa curb.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel curbmarking gage which can be readily operated by one man and which includespaint marking means which are easily adjustable to vertically position ahorizontal mark at any desired height relative to the top surface of acurb.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel curbmarking gage including an L-shaped frame, horizontally oriented wheelsand vertically oriented wheels carried by the frame for rolling upon thevertical and horizontal surfaces of a curb and a paint marking assemblyvertically adjustably carried by the frame, the said paint markingassembly incorporating a paint container which feeds a circular paintbrush and spring means to urge the periphery of the paint brush againstthe vertical surface of a curb continuously for paint marking purposes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel curbmarking gage that is rugged in construction, simple in operation andtrouble free when in use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had byreferring to the following description and claims of a preferredembodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a curbmarking gage constructed in accordance with the present invention,showing the device in use.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, bottom perspective view of the device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded, perspective view of the device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Althoughspecific terms are used in the following description for the sake ofclarity, these terms are intended only to refer to the particularstructure of our invention selected for illustration in the drawings,and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, we show a curb marking gage l suitablefor use with an existing curb 12 by rolling simultaneously upon thehorizontal top curb surface 14 and the vertical side surface 16 of thecurb 12. The curb marking gage comprises generally a pair of spaced,L-shaped frame members 18, 20 which are upwardly joined by an operatingplate 22 which serves to rigidly secure the frame members 18, 20 intheir said spaced relationship. A handle 24 is upwardly affixed to thetop surface of the operating plate 22 to permit the gage 10 to bereadily rolled along the curb 12 for curb marking purposes by a singleworkman as hereinafter more fully set forth.

A pair of forward wheel brackets 26, 28 depend from the operating plate22 near the forward edge 30 thereof. Similarly, a pair of rearward wheelbrackets 32, 34 depend from the operating plate 22 and near the rearwardedge 36 thereof. Suitable bolts 38 or other fasteners secure therespective wheel brackets 26, 28, 32, 34 to the L-shaped frame members18, 20. Preferably, the same bolts 38 are employed to connect theoperating plate 22 to the horizontal legs l7, 19 of the L- shaped framemembers 18, 20 to simplify assembly procedures.

Each of the forward and rearward wheel brackets 26, 28, 32, 34 isprovided with an axle receiving opening 40 for wheel connectionpurposes. The axle receiving openings 40 of the forward wheel brackets26, 28 transversely align to receive the forward wheel axle 42 therein.Suitable nuts 44 and lock washers 46 are employed to secure the forwardwheel axle to the forward wheel-brackets 26, 28 in well known manner.Similarly,

e rearward wheel brackets 32, 34 are provided with tia'nsversely alignedaxle receiving openings 48 which refie'ive the rearward wheel axle 50therein in secure manner such as by employing nuts 52 and lock washers54 in well known manner. Forward wheels 56 and rearward wheels 58respectively journal upon the forward and rearward wheel axles 42, 50 inrotative manner for rotary movement about the respective axles 42, 50.Preferably, conventional ball bearings 60 are employed with each of theforward wheels 56 and rearward wheels 58 to facilitate rotary movementof the wheels about the respective axles. As best seen in FIG. 1, theforward and rearward wheels 56, 58 are employed to roll upon the tophorizontal surface 14 0f the curb 12.

A pair of horizontally oriented wheel brackets 62, 64 are respectivelyaffixed to the lower ends of the depending legs 66, 68 of the L-shapedframe members 18, 20. Preferably, the wheel brackets 62, 64 aregenerally channel-shaped in cross-sectional configuration and areaffixed to the depending legs 66, 68 by means of bolts 70 or otherfasteners which threadedly engage the respective parts. Horizontallyoriented forward and rearward wheels 72, 74 rotatively connect to thebrackets 62, 64 in conventional manner such as by employing verticalaxles 76, 78 and suitable retainers 80. The

wheels 72, 74 ride against the vertical surface 16 of the curb 12 whenthe device is in use. (See FIG. 1).

A gage and marking assembly 82 pivotally connects to a horizontallydisposed wheel bracket, for example, bracket 64 and includes achannel-shaped connecting bracket 84 which is affixed to the wheelbracket 64 by means of a vertical headed pin 86 and a securing end nut88. A spring 90 surrounds the pin 86 and is formed with radiallyprojecting ends 91, 93. The spring ends 91, 93 respectively bias againstthe web 92 of the connecting bracket 84 and the web of the wheel bracket64 in a manner to continuously bias the gage and marking assembly 82about the vertical pin 86 in a radial direction toward the verticalsurface 16 of the curb l2. In the fully biased position 94 (FIG. 2), thegage and marking assembly 82 positions inwardly from the horizontallyoriented wheels 72, 74. Thus, when the wheels 72, 74 are urged fullyagainst the vertical surface 16 of the curb 12 for rolling thereover,the bias of the spring 90 continuously urges the circular brush 96 ofthe gage and marking assembly 82 into peripheral contact with thevertical curb surface 16.

A vertical socket secures to web 92 of the connecting bracket 84 intight engagement to move about the pin 86 when the bracket pivots aboutthe pin. A vertical gage rod 98 is a sliding fit within the verticalsocket 100 and may be vertically adjusted relative to the socket bymeans of the set screw nut 102. The set screw nut is threadedlyadjustable relative to the socket 100 by threaded engagement upon thethreaded boss 104. In the embodiment illustrated, one face 106 of thegage rod 98 is provided with a plurality of vertically spaced,semi-circular recesses 108 which are provided for height adjustmentpurposes. Preferably, the recesses 108 are spaced in known incrementsalong the entire height of the gage rod 98, for example, in one inchincrements. The semi-circular recesses 108 position within the verticalsocket 100 in a manner to face in the direction of the set screw nut102. The threaded boss 104 is drilled or otherwise machined to provide ahorizontal opening (not illustrated) which communicates with thevertical channel 110 of the socket 100 within which the gage rod isvertically slidable. As best seen in FIG. 3, the set screw nut 102carries an inwardly facing spring 112 which inwardly supports a hardenedsteel ball 114. When the nut 102 is threadedly engaged upon the boss104, the spring 112 is compressed within the horizontal opening of theboss to bias the steel ball 114 against the face 106 of the verticalgage rod 98. When a semi-circular recess 108 horizontally aligns withthe ball 114, the ball is urged by the spring 112 to seat within arecess 108 to thereby serve as a detent to discourage further verticalmovement of the gage rod 98 relative to the vertical socket 100. Thus,the gage rod can be readily adjusted to any desired vertical positionwithin the socket 100 and can be locked in the desired relative verticalposition by means of the set screw nut 102, the affixed spring 112 andthe end positioned steel ball 114.

The vertical gage rod 98 extends through the vertical channel 110 of thesocket 100 and tenninates below the vertical socket 100 in a threadedend 116. A horizontal strut 118 affixes to the bottom of the verticalgage rod 98 in conventional manner, such as by employing an opening 121which receives the threaded end 116 and secures thereto by means of anut 120 and washer 122. The strut 1 18 has no motion relative to thegage rod 98 and accordingly, when the gage rod is pivoted about thevertical pin 86, the affixed strut 118 will also similarly pivot. Thestrut 118 outwardly is provided with a second opening 124 through whichis mounted the threaded spindle 126 of the brush platform 128. Suitablewashers 130, 131 and nut 132 are employed to secure the threaded spindle126 within the strut opening 124. The spindle 126 connects to the brushplatform 128 in a bearing connection so that the platform freely rotatesabout the spindle 126. Accordingly, the threaded spindle 126 is affixedto the horizontal strut 118 in a manner to permit free rotation of thecircular brush 96 relative to the frame members 18, for curb markingpurposes when the gage 10 is rolled over the curb surfaces 14, 16.

The brush platform 128 is provided with an upwardly facing, concentric,threaded well 134 and outwardly carries a peripherally positioned,circular brush 96. In the embodiment illustrated, the circular brush 96is retained within a pair of split, circular carriers 136 and preferablyis fabricated of felt or other material suitable to retain paint forcurb marking purposes. A plurality of radially extending openings (notshown) intercommunicate portions of the circular brush 96 and the bottomof the well 134 in a manner to uniformly saturate the entire peripheryof the brush 96 with paint (not shown) from the paint container 138. Thepaint container 138 comprises a generally cylindrical reservoir 140which is fabricated of hollow configuration to retain a quantity ofsuitable paint therein. The paint container 138 terminates downwardly ina threaded connector 142 which threadedly engages the well 134 in aleakproof manner. The connector 142 terminates downwardly in a needlevalve opening 144 through which paint from the reservoir 140 flows bygravity into the well 134. A needle valve 146 adjustably engages thethreaded top opening 148 of the reservoir 140 through a soft washer seal150 to control the flow of paint (not shown) into the well 134.Preferably, the top of the paint container 138 is provided with aplurality of circularly positioned notches 152 and the needle valve 146is equipped with a radially extending spring retainer 154 which issecurely affixed near the top of the needle valve 146. The springretainer 154 rides about the top of the reservoir when the needle valveis being adjusted and seats within one of the notches 152 to re tain theneedle valve 146 in a desired adjustable position to assure adequatepaint flow.

Preferably, a second face 156 of the gage rod 98 is provided with aplurality of height gaging marks 158 which are read directly at the top160 of the vertical socket 100. The geometry of the system is designedso that the gage marks 158 read directly in inches or other measurementsto reflect the precise distance that the circular brush 96 is positionedbelow the top horizontal surface 14 of the curb 12 when the gage rod 98is moved to any of its vertically adjustable positions in the mannerhereinbefore set forth. Thus, when it is desired to grade a streetsurface to a specified distance below the top horizontal surface 14 of acurb, for example, eight inches, the set screw nut 102 is backed out ofthe threaded boss 104 sufficiently to permit the gage rod 98 to bevertically moved relative to the vertical socket 100. When a heightmarking 158 corresponding to eight inches appears at the top 160 of thevertical socket 100, the set screw nut 102 is then threadedly engagedinto the threaded boss 104. In this position, the

spring 112 biases the steel ball 114 into a semi-circular recess 108which corresponds to the desired height to thereby maintain the gage rod98 in the desired vertical position.

The curb marking gage 10 is then applied over the curb 12 in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 1 with the forward and rearward upper wheels 56, 58in contact with the horizontal surface 12 and with the horizontallyoriented wheels 72, 74 in contact with the vertical curb surface 16.With curb marking gage 10 in this position, the bias of the spring urgesthe circular brush 96 into contact against the vertical surface 16 forcurb marking purposes. When the curb marking gage 10 is thus positioned,the device is then wheeled along the curb 12 by holding the gage by thehandle 24 and in a longitudinally extending direction, care being takento assure that all of the wheels 56, 58 and 72, 74 continuously contactthe respective curb surfaces 14, 16. The brush platform 128 and theaffixed circular brush 96 revolve about the spindle 126 to thereby painta stripe 162 at the precise, desired elevation upon the vertical curbsurface 16.

Although we have described our invention with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has beenmade only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details ofconstruction and the combination and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas hereinafter claimed.

We claim:

1. In a curb marking gage for use with a curb having a horizontalsurface and a vertical surface, the combination of A. a frame;

B. a plurality of curb contacting members attached to the frame topermit horizontal movement of the frame relative to the curb,

1. a first portion of said curb contacting members rolling over thevertical surface,

2. said first portion having inner extremeties which contact thevertical surface,

a. the inner extremeties defining a vertical plane;

C. a socket affixed in pivotal relation to the frame 1. said socketbeing provided with a vertically disposed opening,

2. said socket having no vertical movement relative to the frame;

3. the socket having pivotal movement relative to the frame from aninitial position to a curb marking position,

D. curb marking means carried by said socket in a vertically adjustablemanner relative to the frame to place a mark upon the vertical surfaceof the curb,

1. said curb marking means including a circular brush, a paintreservoir, a spring, a strut and bracket assembly comprising a strut anda bracket, said assembly being pivotally connected and an affixed gagerod,

2. a portion of the periphery of said circular brush being positionedinwardly of the vertical plane when the socket is in its initialposition,

3. the periphery of said circular brush being forced against thevertical surface when the socket is urged to its curb marking position,

4. the spring continuously biasing said socket and said circular brushinto contact with the vertical surface when the curb contacting membersare positioned in contact with the curb,

S. the gage rod being vertically movable within the socket to aplurality of vertical positions relative to the frame to vary the heightof the brush relative to the frame,

a. means to retain the gage rod in any of the verti cal positions tomaintain the circular brush at a desired elevation relative to thevertical curb surface,

6. the gage rod terminating downwardly in a strut connection end,

a. a strut rigidly connected to said end and extending therefrom toprovide an extension, the said circular brush being connected to saidextension in a rotatable junction whereby the circular brush freelyrotates for curb marking purposes when the circular brush is biased intocontact with the vertical surface and when the curb marking gage ismoved longitudinally relative to the curb, 7. the paint reservoirfeeding paint to the circular brush,

a. said paint reservoir and said circular brush being affixed to thestrut in spaced relationship from the gage rod,

b. said paint reservoir being provided with paint flow control means toregulate the volume of paint flow to the said circular brush.

2. The curb marking gage of claim I wherein the means to retain saidgage rod include a plurality of vertically spaced recesses in said gagerod and the socket is provided with a spring biased ball which is urgedinto the recesses to secure the gage rod in any one of a number ofvertically adjustable positions.

1. In a curb marking gage for use with a curb having a hOrizontal surface and a vertical surface, the combination of A. a frame; B. a plurality of curb contacting members attached to the frame to permit horizontal movement of the frame relative to the curb,
 1. a first portion of said curb contacting members rolling over the vertical surface,
 2. said first portion having inner extremeties which contact the vertical surface, a. the inner extremeties defining a vertical plane; C. a socket affixed in pivotal relation to the frame
 1. said socket being provided with a vertically disposed opening,
 2. said socket having no vertical movement relative to the frame;
 3. the socket having pivotal movement relative to the frame from an initial position to a curb marking position, D. curb marking means carried by said socket in a vertically adjustable manner relative to the frame to place a mark upon the vertical surface of the curb,
 1. said curb marking means including a circular brush, a paint reservoir, a spring, a strut and bracket assembly comprising a strut and a bracket, said assembly being pivotally connected and an affixed gage rod,
 2. a portion of the periphery of said circular brush being positioned inwardly of the vertical plane when the socket is in its initial position,
 3. the periphery of said circular brush being forced against the vertical surface when the socket is urged to its curb marking position,
 4. the spring continuously biasing said socket and said circular brush into contact with the vertical surface when the curb contacting members are positioned in contact with the curb,
 5. the gage rod being vertically movable within the socket to a plurality of vertical positions relative to the frame to vary the height of the brush relative to the frame, a. means to retain the gage rod in any of the vertical positions to maintain the circular brush at a desired elevation relative to the vertical curb surface,
 6. the gage rod terminating downwardly in a strut connection end, a. a strut rigidly connected to said end and extending therefrom to provide an extension, the said circular brush being connected to said extension in a rotatable junction whereby the circular brush freely rotates for curb marking purposes when the circular brush is biased into contact with the vertical surface and when the curb marking gage is moved longitudinally relative to the curb,
 7. the paint reservoir feeding paint to the circular brush, a. said paint reservoir and said circular brush being affixed to the strut in spaced relationship from the gage rod, b. said paint reservoir being provided with paint flow control means to regulate the volume of paint flow to the said circular brush.
 2. said first portion having inner extremeties which contact the vertical surface, a. the inner extremeties defining a vertical plane; C. a socket affixed in pivotal relation to the frame
 2. said socket having no vertical movement relative to the frame;
 2. a portion of the periphery of said circular brush being positioned inwardly of the vertical plane when the socket is in its initial position,
 2. The curb marking gage of claim 1 wherein the means to retain said gage rod include a plurality of vertically spaced recesses in said gage rod and the socket is provided with a spring biased ball which is urged into the recesses to secure the gage rod in any one of a number of vertically adjustable positions.
 3. the periphery of said circular brush being forced against the vertical surface when the socket is urged to its curb marking position,
 3. the socket having pivotal movement relative to the frame from an initial position to a curb marking position, D. curb marking means carried by said socket in a vertically adjustable manner relative to the frame to place a mark upon the vertical surface of the curb,
 4. the spring continuously biasing said socket and said circular brush into contact with the vertical surface when the curb contacting members are positioned in contact with the curb,
 5. the gage rod being vertically movable within the socket to a plurality of vertical positions relative to the frame to vary the height of the brush relative to the frame, a. means to retain the gage rod in any of the vertical positions to maintain the circular brush at a desired elevation relative to the vertical curb surface,
 6. the gage rod terminating downwardly in a strut connection end, a. a strut rigidly connected to said end and extending therefrom to provide an extension, the said circular brush being connected to said extension in a rotatable junction whereby the circular brush freely rotates for curb marking purposes when the circular brush is biased into contact with the vertical surface and when the curb marking gage is moved longitudinally relative to the curb,
 7. the paint reservoir feeding paint to the circular brush, a. said paint reservoir and said circular brush being affixed to the strut in spaced relationship from the gage rod, b. said paint reservoir being provided with paint flow control means to regulate the volume of paint flow to the said circular brush. 